Vehicle-hub



(No Model.)

D. G. STOVER.

VEHICLE HUB.

No. 330,809. Patented Nov. 17, 1885.

V4 INVENTOR WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY- f UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

DANIEL O. STOVEB, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE-HUB.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,809, dated November17, 1885.

Application filed August 22, 1885. Serial No. 175,064. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL G. STOVER, a resident of Freeport, in thecounty of Stephenson and State of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Vehicle- Hubs; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in vehicle hubs of that class inwhich a wooden hub-body is strengthened by the insertion or addition ofmetal bars lying between the spokes and held in place by metal bands orother equivalent metal connecting devices.

The use of metal bars lying between the spoke-mortises of a wooden hubis old in the art of wheel-construction; but such bars have heretoforebeen inserted singly in the hub, or have been formed upon rigid bands orsections of bands, and such bands or sections of bands have beeninserted bodily in or forced longitudinally upon the hub. I

In this application I show and describe a number of forms of bands ofmalleable metal, (preferably annealed cast-iron,) each of such form thatit may be cast in a straight bar or strip and then wrapped about a hub,entering a suitable annular groove therein.

In the drawings illustrating this construction, Figure 1 is a plan. of ahub provided with one form of the malleable retaining-bar strip, andalso with an encircling-band, B, covering the retaining-bar strip, theband being broken away at one point to show said strip. Fig. 2 is atransverse section of a portion of a hub, the plane of section passingthrough the line at y, Fig.1, and apart of the spokes being in positionin the hub, the spokes and spoketenons being lettered F F and thespokemortises and tenon-mort-ises f f,- Fig. 3, a view, partly inelevation and partly in section, of one form of the malleable stripreferred to, a portion of it being straight and the balance bent intothe curve of the circumference of a hub. Fig. 4. is a longitudinalsection of a part of a hub, the plane of section being radial withreference to the axis of the hub, and passing through a spoke-mortise,f, and its corresponding tenon-mortise, f. Fig. 5 is a similar view toFig. 4., except that the plane of section passes between two contiguousmortises and through one of the bars D lying between said mortises. ThebarD shown in section in this figure is slightly different in form fromthat shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4.. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4:,except that itillustrates the form of strip and bar shown in Fig. 5,instead of that shown in Figs. 2, 3. 4. Fig. 7 is an elevation of theform of strip illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 in section.

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, A is a wooden hub, formed with an annular grooveabout midway between its ends, and having a series of tenon-mortises, f,extending inward from said groove. Within this groove lies a strip ofmalleable metal of such length and width as to completely fill thegroove, and of such form as to divide the groove into a series ofspoke-mortises, f, corresponding in position to the tenon mortises f ofthe wooden hub; and outside of the strip isa continuousencircling-band,B,formed with openings corresponding in size andposition to the spoke-mortises f, the openings in the band beingseparated by narrow cross-strips B, forming part of the band. The stripconsists of three integrally-formed parts or sets of parts-namely, athin backing or ribbon, D, formed with suitable spoke-openings, aseriesof V-shaped bars, D, at right angles to the line of length of the ribbonand lying between the openings therein, and a series of end flanges, O,at right angles to the bars D and extending inward from the edges of theribbon. This strip, when cast and annealed, is preferably straight, asshown in a portion of Fig. 3, and while the strip is straight thecontiguous flanges O G G are separated each from the next on either sideof it by an angular space, 0, Fig. 3, these angles being such that thebending of the strip into a circle closes them all and brings the endsof the flanges O 0 into contact. When the strip is wrapped about the huband embedded in the annular groove therein,it will be seen that it formsa series of sockets or spoke-mortises adapted to receive the fullsizedends of a series of spokes, the bars D being the partitions between themortises, and the flanges O O forming the end walls thereof. Beforebeing bent into acircle, the strip, as a whole, is straight; but eachsection of the strip (that is, each portion between two of I the groove,and'even then such aform as that the angular spaces, 0) is curved, asshownin Fig. 3. The connection of the flanges C with the ribbon Dprevents the bending of the ribbon, except at the vertices of the angles0, and it is therefore necessary to give the short sections thenecessary curve when cast.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, 7 the end flanges, G O, aredispensed with, and the bars D are lengthened, so as to enter the woodof the hub on either side of the annular groove. These projecting endsmay be of equal crosssection throughout their length and be sunk insuitable mortises or grooves in the hub; but I prefer to make them ofthe form shown in Fig. 5, the inner edge of each of the ends being anarc of a circle. This form has the advantage that the groove whichreceives it may be cut by a small rotary cutter or former more easilyand cheaply than a straight V- shaped groove can be mortised out.Otherwise the form is not material. When the end flanges, O C, aredispensed with, the ribbon D may be cast perfectly straight, since itcan be bent at all points, and there is therefore no necessity to giveits parts any curve in castingit.

It is evident that the two forms of strip shown are only representativeof a large class which may be devised, and I do not therefore desire tolimit my invention to any particular form or arrangement of thecross-bars D on the ribbon D. In fact the bars maybe dispensed with, ifdesired, and the ribbon used alone, in which case it may be either ofmalleable cast-iron or of rolled band-iron. Vhen band-iron is used, theopenings for the spokes may be punched.

I have spoken of the strip D D, as being cast in a straight piece, andthis form is preferable, since it dispenses with the necessity of coringand greatly lessens the cost of production. I do not mean, however, tolimit my invention to the casting of the strip in this form, since itmight be cast in a curved form, or even in a circle of the same diameteras the hub on which it was to be used, with-v out losing the advantageswhich it has over a rigid structure of the same shape. So long as theends of the strip are not connected together to form an endless ring thestrip may, if malleable, be opened sufiiciently to he slipped over thehub, and may then be closed and embedded in the annular groove intendedto receive it. If the strip be of rigid mate rial, it must necessarilybe made of not less than two pieces, in order to introduce it to shownin Figs. 4, 5, 6 cannot be used, since the cross-bars D cannot be madeto enter the longitudinal grooves in the hub in which they are to beembedded.

The use of a malleable strip permits the gradual wrapping of the stripabout the hub, and thus allows the successive bars D to enter thelongitudinal grooves in the hub without difficulty.

Having now described and explained my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A strip of malleable metal provided with suitable spoke-openings andadapted to be wrapped about a vehicle-hub and form a ring thereon,substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 7

2. A strip of malleable metal formed with suitable spoke'openings andprovided with transverse bars lying between said spokeopenings, saidstrip being adapted to be wrapped about a vehicle-hub and to form aseries of spoke-mortises therein, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

3. A strip of malleable metal formed with spoke-openings and providedwith transverse bars V-shaped in cross-section lying between saidspoke-openings, said strip being adapted to be wrapped about a hub withthe thinner parts of said bars inward, and said bars being adapted toform. bearing'surfaces for a series of spokes, substantially as shownand described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. A strip of malleable metal formed with suitable spoke-openings andprovided with transverse bars lying between said spoke-openings, andwith flanges at right angles to said bars and running lengthwise of thestrip, said strip being adapted to be wrapped about a vehicle-hub withsaid bars and flanges inward, and said bars and flanges to form socketsfor the reception of a series of spokes, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

5. The ribbon D, of malleable metal,formed with suitable spoke-openingsand provided with bars D and flanges 0, said flanges O being separatedby notches O, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

DANIEL G. STOVER.

WVitnesses:

Gno. H. PATTISON, J. A. GRAIN.

